How?
by Blue Tears
Summary: Summary: 6th year An extensive potions project that is assigned to inter-house partners can change your perspective on how to live life. HermioneDraco


** Title:** How? 

** AN: **I've really wanted to write a fic for this ship but I never did…that is until now cause I decided to screw writing another chapter of my other fic and just take a break to write this. 

** Disclaimer:** Hmm…I hate this part…I don't own a bloody thing. 

** Summary:** (6th year) An extensive potions project is assigned to inter-house partners can change your perspective on how to live life. Hermione/Draco 

** Guide:** _'Thoughts'_     **Flashbacks**

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** How? **

     The Shrieking Shack stood vacant and dilapidated at the top of the hill on the outskirt of Hogsmeade. Rumors concerning ghosts had floated about and circulated through the town since the mid 70's. Three years ago it had been the scene of many confessions and revelations but now, upon the eve of Halloween, Hermione had returned under other pretences and once more was accompanied by another wizard. 

     A feminine hand frantically fumbled over splintered termite eaten wood. She searched blindly for the dull brass doorknob as the back of her head along with her back was pressed firmly against the front door of the Shrieking Shack. His hand found hers and pressed it against the old doorknob and helped to turn it. With a loud creak the door gave way under the combined weight of two sixteen year olds as they stumbled inside the house. The door closed on its own accord but the couple didn't seem to notice nor seemed to care. 

     Draco's firm, possessive grip had hold of the back of Hermione's head. The lean frame of his body pushed her against the wall at the bottom of the rickety flight of stairs. The intoxication it gave him to have possession of the heart and body of a mind as great as her was incredible, by far better then any illegal potion he'd made at home over summer holiday. His other hand was pulling off her Gryffindor colored scarf with hast and disgust before discarding it on the dusty wooden paneled floor. Both her hands were preoccupied with disheveling his perfectly slicked platinum blond hair. A low feral growl was his response as she ran a hand down the nape of his neck and back up twirling her fingers around the flaxen locks. The potions he had used to smooth his hair held the distinct scent of cinnamon and something Hermione could never place but seemed to smell so familiar. 

     '_Trust me Malfoy you look much better like this, primal and disheveled… wish they could see us now, like this._' Dangerous thoughts, she knew very well what would happen if they saw her now in Draco Malfoy's heated embrace. The traces of a smile began to prick at the corners of Hermione's mouth as he began to impatiently pull at the clasp of her school robe. Pulling away from the wall while continuing to pry Hermione's robes open, Draco began to run his saliva-slicked tongue over her lips. Moving backwards up one step while maintaining his hold on her lips Hermione parted her lips. Biting lightly at his lips and tongue as it entered her mouth she pulled away letting her eyes open lazily. Draco was panting heavily as he stood a step above her, breath puffing against her face, cocky smirk playing with his lips. 

     "Don't tell me Granger that you want to stop now." Taunting as usual. His voice was deeper then it had been the previous year but still sent shivers down her back. Only this year they were not of disgust and loathing but lust and love combined. His forehead was pressed lightly against hers, deep gray eyes penetrating hers. Love and lust clouded the depths of Draco's eyes which caused Hermione to smile, she could bring emotions other then hate into a Malfoy's eyes with a simple kiss. Using a smirk she had seen him give her countless time she brushed past him up the stairs licking his saliva from her lips. He followed her halfway up the stairs before grabbing her wrist and turning her around. She lost balance as she pivoted and fell dragging him down in a torrent of laughter. 

     Her hands had begun to work on the silver snake clasp of his black school robe as he lay on of her at the top of the stairs. Draco had already managed to remove her robe completely and had left it on the first landing. Pulling the fabric over his shoulders she threw the garment behind him in hast. His lips were now tracing a burning line down her neck and running dangerously close to the open v-neck collar of her gray sweater. Scooting away from the pale boy she grasped his exposed silver and green tie, dragging him like a pet towards the bedroom door. He followed obediently wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing his lips against the back of her neck, licking the tangy skin in repetitive ministrations. Turning the doorknob with her free hand Hermione pulled Draco in front of her and pushed him down on the bed that emitted a plume of dust upon contact. The walls were covered in peeling wallpaper and ages of dust but neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin student cared, it was a room to call their own. Hogwarts skirt hiked far to high above her knees she straddled his hips, rocking hard against them in a teasing manner. Her action's reward was a strangled moan mingled with a low growl. 

     "Hermione." She loved it when he used her first name, only did he do it when they were alone. She leaned close to his face, tracing his lip with the tip of her tongue. 

     "Say it again, Draco." Placing an appreciative kiss on the right corner of his lips she began to undo his tie. He ran a hand under the hem of her skirt, playing with the cotton material as he hiked it up to expose pale skin. She smirked as he pressed his lips to her ear. 

     "Hermione…" He moan loudly just for her, on command. '_Gods Hermione…if I knew this was the real you before, shit, I'd been your potions partner the first day of school._' He couldn't help regret his assumptions before about his auburn haired beauty. Now he knew if you could find that certain trigger to unwind her she'd let everything fall away and find inner confidence to be herself, a real sixteen year old at heart who know what she wanted…Draco Malfoy. 

     Rocking her hips back and forth driving her potions partner crazy Hermione began to unbutton his white-collar shirt. While pulling Hermione's cotton collar shirt off her slim shoulders Draco kissed ever inch of skin as it was exposed. On instinct her back arched allowing him more access to her pale skin. Hermione felt the rough calloused pads of Draco's fingers trace small circles on the small of her back as she threw his shirt off the bed. Just as his fingers began to pull at the flimsy zipper on her skirt she spoke. 

     "Draco," she spoke quietly as to calm the young man beneath her. "Draco…" Moving away from his lips reach she placed her hand on his shoulders forcing him to lie down. A plume of dust encircled them as she placed her head on his exposed chest, still straddling his hips. Tilting her head to the sides she listened to his heart pounding against his rib cage threatening to burst out. "How…" she paused biting her lower lip, "how did this happen?" 

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     ** "But Professor Snape, if the project is going to be long term shouldn't we work with someone we can see after curfew…meaning someone in our own house." The never fail voice of reason that was Hermione Granger retorted to the potions professor upon hearing her class's next assignment. Apparently the slimy git, as Ron had muttered under his breath when hearing, wanted the Gryffindors and the Slytherins to work together on an extensive potions project that would, as Professor Snape repeatedly hinted, probably be on the N.E.W.Ts. **

     "Terribly sorry, Miss Grangers, but corporative activities such as inter-house projects is something Dumbledore is trying to, shall we say, "push" this year." Snape's malicious voice dripped with condescending as he responded to Hermione's comment. Smoothing back a strand of black greasy hair Snape continued, "As I was saying before Miss Granger felt it necessary to impend upon all your rights to work with one another the partners will be as follows: Patil and Zabini, Weasley and Crabbe, Potter and Parkinson, Brown and Goyle," Hermione heard Lavender cringe next to Pavati who was also looking rather pale. "Malfoy and Granger," Snape continued rattling off names but Hermione didn't hear anything after "Malfoy and Granger." 

     Granger could feel several pairs of eyes all snap to her. Harry and Ron's glances both out of sympathy along with Lavender and Pavati's out of what seemed to be sympathy with an underlying current of "hey he is eye candy…if his mouth is shut." The last pair was Malfoy's, she could feel his eyes rake over every part of her body, scrutinizing and examining the mudblood. Her blood began to boil as she thought of all the assumptions he was forming in his head about her. 

     '_Let him think whatever he wants, the grade is what you should be concerned with._' A voice in Hermione's head screeched as she looked over her shoulder at the gray-eyed boy. His eyes locked with hers, no emotions clouded the gray depths…she didn't think that it was conceivable for a Malfoy to display emotions. Nothing reached his eyes, no smirks not even smiles…but he never smiled. As loud as the voice was it could not drowned out the feelings in the pit of her stomach that desperately wanted him to see her as a gir-woman. 

     "Get to work!" 

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     It had been a month since the project was assigned and Hermione's emotions had been going haywire the whole month after being so close to Malfoy. He would sit next to her letting his cologne cloud her mind casting a spell over her scenes. He would half-heartedly berate her hard work attempting to rise out of her to pettily entertain himself. He would pull her in one direction till the breaking point then completely switch gears to suddenly tear her in the other. 

     Now she was sitting in the restricted section of the Hogwarts Library waiting for Draco to show up. Her foot began to tap impatiently as she stared at the spines of the books that stood at her eye level. "_How to really kill a Vampire, by Elvira Ryan._" Tracing the embossed letters on the spine Hermione heard quickened footsteps in her direction. 

     "I have permission from Professor Sn-." Hermione paused realizing it was Malfoy and not Madam Pince. "Malfoy I've been waiting here for an hour!" His normally perfect platinum hair was disheveled and he was fumbling with the silver snake clasp on his school robes. "Did you just come from shagging someone?" Hermione asked as a pang of jealousy hit her. '_He'd rather be with some other girl then study with me?_' Draco raised an indignant eyebrow. 

     "And if I say yes, Granger, what will you do?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the bookshelf opposite Hermione. She stood there appalled at the words falling from Malfoy's lips. Nervously toying with the hem of her skirt Hermione thought of a reply. 

     "I'd say you're even more disgusting then I thought." She snapped, letting her emotions get the better half of her, but somehow she maintained a steady voice. 

     "Well then I'd say you don't have your priorities straight." Malfoy retorted. Closing his eyes he began to smooth back his hair to its former perfect glory. Hermione stared at the young man simply perplexed by his words. 

     "Are you saying that fucking comes before studies in your book,_ Malfoy_?" She stressed his surname in hopes of raising any kind of emotion in him. He had raised an eyebrow hearing the swear slip past her lips but that was the extent of his reaction. Turning to the bookcase he pulled an old copy of "_Deceptive Incantations to Elude Your Fate_" and began to thumb through it. Not looking up from the page he had stopped on he replied. 

     "No, I'm just saying that if you live all your life working you aren't _really_ living, now are you Granger?" She opened her mouth to reply but shut it again, opened it then shut it. 

     She hated that snide little smirk that was toying with his lips, that stupid little snake clasp, his detached emotionless demeanor, the fact she had let him get to her, the fact he had complete rule over her heart despite what she told herself every night. 

     Above all else she hated the fact he was right. 

     "No, no you aren't are you…Draco?" Eyes downcast Hermione watched the book he had been looking at clattered to the floor as she whispered his first name. 

     "What did you say?" Draco had crossed the small distance that separated him and Hermione and was now standing over her. Curling an lean finger under her chin he tilted her face to look at his. She saw something in his eyes, a flicker of emotion igniting something with in the Slytherin. She had never been so close to a boy before, other than Ron and Harry. 

     "Draco?" More confidence filled her voice as she said his name again asking with the inflection of her voice if his name was what he had asked of. The corners of his lips curved as he cocked an eyebrow. 

     "Do mine ears deceive me? Has _Hermione_ admitted that _Draco _is right and she is wrong?" He emphasized the use of first names as he moved closer to her face. Hermione looked at the playful glint barely visible in Draco's eyes. 

     "I did no such thing, _Malfoy_." She pressed against his chest as he pushed her into the bookshelf. 

     "Oh shut up, _Granger._" He sighed before closing the gap between their lips in a short simple kiss. No fireworks went off, not even sparks from a wand but Hermione had never felt warmer in her life, Draco's arms surrounding her in a warm embrace, his lips moving against hers. 

     Sixteen and her first kiss was from her worst enemy. 

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     Draco rolled to the left so he was now straddling Hermione's curved hips. Hermione watched him as she ran an finger from his neck down his torso. Leaning down, placing his hands on either side of her head pressed into and old downy pillow, he whispered the answer in her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear and ran over the sensitive skin on her neck. 

     "You said my name." 

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** AN:** Thank you for reading my first attempt at Hermione/Draco fic. I know it wasn't that good with emotions and stuff but I really wanted it to be more about actions and a lil emotion. Oh well please I'd love to hear from all you Hermione/Draco shippers if it sucked or if it was passable. Thanks again! 


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